Age Quote by Olaf Stapledon
“It seemed to me that I, the spirit of so many worlds, the flower of so many ages, was the Church Cosmical, fit at last to be the bride of God. But instead I was blinded and seared and struck down by terrible light.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: “Star Maker” by Olaf Stapledon, 1937
The narrator feels a cosmic destiny, yet is destroyed by overwhelming revelation.
In simple terms: Great purpose can be blinding.
Key Takeaway
Beware hubris.
Themes
cosmos
spirituality
destiny
Mood
awe
melancholy
Type
mythic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- scientific discovery
- spiritual awakening
Key Concepts
Existentialism
mythic archetype
sacred marriage
Questions to Reflect On
- What does “terrible light” symbolize?
- Can destiny be self‑destructive?
A Different Perspective
It may romanticize suffering.
![“No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb [Earth] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic beasts.” quote by Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d65/olaf-stapledon-9950_angel_no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-anoth_12107.jpg)
![“[S]ervants of darkness had no lasting joy in their service. In all of them the will for darkness was a perversion of the will for the light. In all but a few maniacs the satisfaction of the will for darkness was at all times countered by a revulsion which the unhappy spirit either dared not…” quote by Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/de9/olaf-stapledon-9950_all-time_s-ervants-of-darkness-had-no-lasting-joy_509336.jpg)
